Prevention, Treatment

Work conditions, poor diet, excess weight, pregnancy, are all factors that put the bloodstream to the test.

 

How does our Blood Circulate?

Our blood always flows in a single direction closed circuit.

It is driven by the heart, and then is transported in blood vessels: arteries and veins.

Arteries start from the heart and bring oxygen-rich blood and nutrients to all of our organs

- The organs use oxygen and release carbon dioxide

- The veins are then used to bring the blood loaded with carbon dioxide to the heart

- From the heart, the blood goes into the lungs, in which it leaves the carbon dioxide and go on the heart, full of oxygen.

Then the blood starts again the same circuit... 100,000 times a day!

From the heart comes the largest artery out, the aorta.

It is then divides into arteries, which in turn are divided into finer arterioles until reaching capillaries.

Blood pressure, very strong coming out of the heart, gradually decreases.

 

How does the blood then reach the heart?

When coming out of the organs, blood passes through the small blood venules and veins and finally through the large vena cava.

This is called venous return.

 

The venous system, how it works?

The low pressure in the veins is therefore a problem for the return of blood to the heart. And it's even more complicated for leg veins due to longer journey and real gravity.

Fortunately, nature has done things right.

Our veins are equipped with valves every 4 to 5 cm that force the blood back to the heart and prevent it from going down (this corresponds to anti-reflux valves). Other mechanisms also facilitate venous return. Compression of plantar arch and contraction of the calf muscles push blood upward. The respiratory movements also facilitate the work.

 

Some figures

- Our body contains about 5 liters of blood

- Every day, our heart pumps 8,000 gallons of blood

- It beats an average of 70 times per minute

- And each contraction expels about 75 ml of blood into the aorta

- Some 100,000 km of blood vessels carry blood throughout the body... That is more than two times around the earth, if they were placed end to end!

 

Heavy Legs and Other Minor Disorders

The veins can be fragile because of a bad heredity or become more fragile over time.

Gradually, the superficial veins will expand and lose their elasticity.

The valves diverge and lose their function.

Blood backs up, causing all sorts of disorders.

These symptoms are not to be overlooked because they are the first signs of venous disease, that is to say, the stagnation of blood in the veins.

- Heavy legs: This irritating discomfort mainly affects the hollows of the knees, calves and ankles.

- Cramps: Often occurring at night and on the calf level, it is particularly painful muscle contractions.

- Tingling and impatience: upon prolonged stationary stations, you are taken by compelling urge to move the legs. Just walk a little for the pain to go away.

- Oedema: At the end of the day, ankles and feet swell while they are normal upon waking up. Edema can also occur during heat exposure or hormonal changes.

- Small veins: They often appear in young women but tend to spread on the surface and volume over time. These are red filaments (called telangiectasia when blue) on the inside of the knees, outer thighs and ankle resulting from dilation of capillaries.

 

Some tips may relieve these symptoms:

- In the shower, finish up with a jet of cold water from the foot moving upward to the thigh, it stimulates circulation

- Avoid crossing your legs in front of your computer or television

- If you are sitting, give yourself a break every hour to move your legs

- Walk as much as possible

- In summer, treat your feet with cool water bath salt

 

Hemorrhoids

This is one of the most trivial ailments and widespread yet still ashamed of the fact of the part of the body to which it is attached.

 

What are these?

Hemorrhoids are varicose veins located around the anus and the vessels of the rectal wall.

It is a bulb-shaped dilation of the veins of the anal or rectal mucosa.

They are caused by pressure on the veins in the anal or rectal mucosa. This pressure can have different causes such as constipation, diarrhea, intense physical exertion, childbirth but also a sudden increase in blood flow. The veins of the anus are connected to the vessels of the digestive tract the flow of which increases sharply after a large meal, abuse of alcohol or spices.

 

Uncomfortable, but yet?

Inconveniences, simple irritation or pain are the first symptoms of hemorrhoids.

Itching and burning occur only in the case of external hemorrhoids.

Internal hemorrhoids are often manifested by relatively low bleeding.

 

No shame to consult...

You lost a little blood in your stool, it itches or bothers you. It has already happened to you but it was calmed after a few days.

So why consulting? And how to talk about it?

First, there is no shame in this. You do not have to talk to those around you but your doctor, yes. Firstly, because nobody has ever seen a doctor laughing when a patient asked about his hemorrhoids. Because this is an extremely trivial disease that can be relieved easily and it would be a shame to suffer for years.

And especially, because there is a risk, small but existing, that these blood loss has another more serious cause.

Do not wait.

 

Varicose and Complications

These are the signs of chronic venous insufficiency.

The blood stagnates, no longer able to go upward, further weakening the valves and increases its pressure by dilation of the vein walls. The vein becomes bluish, dilated, twisted and more or less prominent.

Varicose veins most often appear on the legs and reach the superficial veins.

 

The different types of varicose

In 95 % of cases, they result from a combination of factors (heredity, excess weight, pregnancy...), affecting the superficial veins.

For the remaining 5%, varicose veins result from another disorder of the deep veins which eventually affects the superficial veins.

Phlebitis (inflammation or obstruction of a vein) is often the cause of these varicose.

 

Simple or complicated varicose

Resented from aesthetic level, they are often painless or only uncomfortable. Sometimes they are accompanied by pain and redness and generate other complications:

- The stasis dermatitis: These are indelible brown spots that appear below the ankles. They are due to a lack of oxygen in the tissues close to varicose veins and to skin damage.

- The varicose eczema: These are red patches of rough appearance causing severe itching and located in the path of dilated veins.

- The varicose ulcer: This is a serious complication of varicose veins that are not treated. These chronic wounds heal very difficult and eventually become infectious in the absence of treatment.

Whether are painful or not, it is imperative to consult if you have varicose veins, because complications are serious.

The blood circulates poorly, slowly and risk of forming a clot that can have serious consequences:

- The phlebitis: superficial when coagulated blood remains in the varicose vein. But it is potentially serious if the clot passes in the deep veins.

- Pulmonary embolism: This incident only complicates deep phlebitis and occurs when the blood clot migrates to the heart and the pulmonary artery. Depending on its size, it impairs or nullifies the irrigation of a lung causing asphyxia and in some cases quick death.

Phlebitis is not always easily detectable.

It usually manifested by pain in the calf or thigh discomfort when walking.

The leg may be swollen, hot and painful. There is sometimes fever and pulse acceleration. When in doubt, go to your GP.

 

How to Self-Treat

Venous insufficiency is a chronic disease that cannot be cured but which can be relieved with treatments with or without drugs background.

 

Drug treatment

These are veino-tonic drugs prescribed for heavy and painful legs, they reduce inflammation, stimulate venous tonus and protect veins.

It seems they also delay the onset of varicose veins. They are considered very effective.

 Non-Drug Methods

- The phlebotomist, vein specialist, may prescribe support or compression stockings. The first prevent swelling passively while the second are active in compressing the leg at the superficial veins level and facilitate venous return.

- These ancestral ways relieve all the manifestations of venous insufficiency; treat phlebitis and suites operations varicose veins. It is interesting to get a prescription for long journeys by plane or car or risky periods such as pregnancy.

- Legs massages are also recommended to soften the joints flexibility, mobilize the muscles and facilitate the process of venous return.

- The thermal treatments can bring good results in the prevention of venous disease when the valves are not too affected and in the treatment of after-effects of phlebitis.

 

Hygiene Rules

The priority is to eliminate certain aggravating factors such as overweight, sedentary lifestyle and bad habits.

Clearly, you need to move, find a good diet and stop taking too hot baths and wearing high heels.

Alternative solutions

To treat varicose and spider veins, other solutions should be considered.

- Sclerotherapy: This technique is performed without anesthesia and consists of destroying the vein responsible for spider veins by injecting a sclerosing agent. It is also used for varicose veins by destroying visible varicose veins and sick veins responsible for varicose. The doctor then works with the help of ultrasound. Sclerotherapy is usually performed by a phlebotomist in several sessions of about 30 minutes.

- Surgery: There are various interventions. The less traumatic, under local anesthesia, is phlebectomy which consists of extracting the ends of sick veins. The stripping also helps to remove the diseased vein but under general anesthesia.

- The laser techniques are currently being developed: They can burn the vein inside without surgical intervention.

 

Risk Factors for Circulatory Disorders

- Heredity: It plays a fundamental role. So be more careful if one of your parents suffers from varicose veins. In more than 50 % of cases, the affected person has inherited his parents’ veins whose wall or valves are weak.

- Females: Women are more at risk due to hormonal changes that contribute to weaken the vein walls.

- Pregnancy: hormone changes but also the weight of the baby is involved. The belly compresses the large abdominal veins, which impedes venous return. Weight gained is also taken into account.

- Overweight: It puts more pressure on the venous system of the legs.

- Age: As we age, the veins lose their elasticity and ability to contract. But contrary to popular belief, young adults and children can suffer from venous insufficiency.

 

Other factors can worsen poor blood return:

- The prolonged standing and static position

- The prolonged sitting with legs crossed

- Lack of exercise, sedentary lifestyle, prolonged bed rest

- Exposure to heat (too hot baths, sauna, steam room, sun exposure, waxing with hot wax, floor heating)

- Clothes that are too tight

- Too high or too flat shoes

- Excessive practice of certain sports like squash or weightlifting

 

Tips to Prevent Venous Insufficiency

Although some people are more prone to develop venous disease, each must preserve his own venous capital.

Prevention begins with the correction of risk factors but also by a few principles to be applied in everyday life.

 

To avoid:

1. Tight clothing, boots that compress the calf, too flat or too high heels, socks that squeeze ankles...

2. Heat whether in hot baths, sun, electric blankets, under floor heating...

3. Prolonged standing still or sitting in cross-legged position

4. Spicy food, alcohol and coffee

5. Brutal sports for legs (squash, tennis, jogging on hard surfaces...)

6. Enormous meals, very bad for people prone to hemorrhoids

 

To do:

1. Practice appropriate physical activity that is to say, the walking, cycling, gymnastics, swimming, golf or skiing

2. Develop good reflexes by taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walk rather than drive...

3. Adopt a healthy and balanced diet based on fiber, fruits and vegetables to prevent constipation

4. Monitor weight and lose the extra pounds if necessary but in a smart way. Avoid strict diet that will let you sometimes gain faster than you just lost. The yoyo diets are particularly bad for the veins. Instead, make a little more exercise and eat better, not less

5. Treat constipation by eating green vegetables, citrus fruits, salad...

 

To try:

1. Elevate the feet of the bottom of your bed a minimum of 10 inches with simple wedges

2. During a long trip or if you work sitting all day, consider making some rotational movements for the ankle, to take breaks by walking a little

3. Do not hesitate to wear a restraint during pregnancy or occupations that require standing (dentist, hairdresser, seller, server...)

4. Replace hot baths with warm showers and take the opportunity to massage your legs with the jet from the bottom to the top.

5. Make five to six seat baths daily in case of hemorrhoids, by lowering the temperature a bit each time can help reduce congestion and decrease pain.

 

And do not wait to go visit your GP or a phlebotomist.

He will advise you and give you if necessary, appropriate treatment.